meet Astrid the aqua sewing machine! {+ what I've been up to lately}...

 

 Isn't she a beaut?

She's actually a bit darker colored in person.

(It's so hard to get a good pic indoors.)

My sweet parents made my day year by buying me this retro chic sewing machine in my favorite color.

She'll be perfect for stitching up more bedsheet dresses such as...

 

 

this one that I made this past week.

 

 

 ~*~

I've also been doing a bit of decorating.

 

 

These pink wall pocket baskets were a steal of a deal for 70 cents from a favorite antique mall that was {sadly} closing. The faux strawberry plants were dissected from a thrift store find for $3.50.
{Isn't faux such a much nicer way to say fake? *wink*}

 

 

This sweet planter from Target, reminiscent of a vintage head vase, was originally intended to have a succulent atop her head, but I think that this pink yarn bun fits my style even better! Doesn't she look like a giant egg cup though? *giggles*

 

 

This wire wastebasket was from the dollar section of Target for $3!

It makes such fun & cute storage for extra yarn leftover from previous projects.

 

 

The colors of this baby blankie I made for a friend's baby girl make me think of yummy saltwater taffy.

 

 

Though it may be in the 90s still outside in my neck of the woods,

inside our house it is decidedly Autumnal,

September 1st being our un-official first day of Fall.
Lovely 70s are forecast for next week though.
I can hardly wait for crisp air, colorful crunchy leaves, snuggly sweaters, & sturdy boots.

 

What have you been up to?

 

Much love,

Miss Michelle ^_^

the almost lost art of thank you notes...

Do you still write thank you notes?



 I try to as often as possible.

 

It seems to me it's not as commonplace as it used to be.

I think in our greedy, more is more society any opportunity to show gratitude is a wonderful thing.

And who doesn't like receiving happy mail, I ask you?!

One of the first thank you notes I remember receiving was from the leader of Junior Choir at church, I was probably 7 or 8. I can't even remember what the note was thanking me for, but I do recall being so excited about receiving my very own piece of mail that I asked Mom if I could send a "You're Welcome" note in return. I was quite disappointed to find out that wasn't a thing. In my child's mind it was the only appropriate response since it was instilled in me to tell someone you're welcome if they told me thank you. haha!

A little while back I heard that they are no longer going to be teaching cursive handwriting in school. I think that is a shame. I read an article once that said something about how important handwriting really is. They made a point that when you hand write something you use more of the old noodle than you do when you type. Isn't that interesting? I couldn't find a link to the article, but here is a post that talks about the article to which I'm referring.

I can speak from experience that pieces of handwriting from loved ones now gone is something I treasure. For years I cleaned house for my great grandma, Grandma Lou, and did a little shopping for her too. I saved one of the notes she left me with the grocery list. She would have me do little mending jobs for her as well since she, an excellent seamstress herself, was no longer able. The note read: "Michelle, Could you put in a new zipper? This one is nuts. Gram" hahaha! She was such a hoot.

So, I sat out on the deck on an unseasonable mild afternoon
& started writing.
{Making a photo worthy display beforehand of course. *wink*}
Then I got to thinking about being thankful.

Being thankful is so important.
We are told to be thankful to God for everything in all circumstances.
{In each & every case it's always far better than what we truly deserve.}





"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,

to which indeed you were called in one body;

and be thankful.

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,

 singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,

giving thanks through Him to God the Father."

{Colossians 3:15-17}



"Rejoice always;

pray without ceasing;

in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

{1 Thessalonians 5:16-18}



"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

 Do not be anxious about anything,
but in every situation, by prayer and petition,

with thanksgiving,

present your requests to God.

 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

{Philippians 4:4-7}



Did you notice how often the words 'rejoice' & 'grateful' or 'thankful' are in the same passage?

Ah, nothing cultivates the joy of the Lord quite like giving thanks to Him.

It puts things into the right perspective.

We remember that He is in control.

All things are filtered through His loving hands.

How can you help but have joy when this is the case?

 

When we thank someone for some kind thing that they have done for us we ultimately thank God as well because He is the One Who put these givers in our lives.

 

Let us always be thankful to Him for the innumerable gifts He gives us every day. ^_^

{But especially that greatest gift of all: His beloved Son, Who gave His life a ransom for those who will believe in Him & His sufficient sacrifice to reconcile wretched sinners to Himself.}

 

So, next time you're penning thank you notes

to those who are a blessing to you,

remember the ultimate Giver.

 

{And be sure to take a coffee & cake break
when your hand starts to get a bit tired.}

~*~

Do you have any treasured memories connected with hand writing?

How often do you hand write things?
 

^_^

Much Love,

Michelle
{Yep, I took the piccies & I ate that cake. It was good.}

a daytrip to a favorite vintage sale & tea room...

One of my favorite things about the warmer weather months are flea markets & vintage sales.
On Saturday I went on a little day trip to Morris, Illinois

with 2 of my sisters, my 2 nieces, & my sisters' Mother-in-law, Jan.

{My sisters married brothers. Don't worry it's legal.} ;)

Morris is just the sweetest little town!

They have oodles of cool shops & boutiques, and the best little tea room.

The reason for this trip was the 3 French Hens Country Market.

Oh, what fun it was! :D

There were loads of vintage delights, crafts, fresh produce,
 & much more at this terrific outdoor market.
I didn't end up buying a thing, {apart from my lunch} but I sure did have a lovely time!



{Posing by a cute vintage bike with my niece Abbey & perusing vintage fashions.}

They had such cute vintage clothes for sale!



The market was located right next to this picturesque canal.



Beth & Abbey bought this cute little wicker umbrella basket thingy.

Kelsey {a former ballerina} can spot tulle from a mile away.

I so wanted to give this adorable dress a nice new home in my closet,

but, alas, it was out of my price range. *sniffle*

Letty Mae's is the sweet little tea shop I mentioned earlier.

I just love it there! Everything is so pretty & vintage.

It's down an alleyway that gives you the feeling of being in Paris - with no plane ticket required!

They were already full inside so we had to sit outside.

I'm so thankful we did! It was such a lovely day.  

A vintage *pink* washing machine being used as a planter. Adorbs!



They serve their beverages in these cute mason jars with paper straws!



Naturally, we all had to have our pictures taken drinking out of said straws.



No attention to detail is spared - note the hankies & doilies sewn onto the umbrellas.



 They serve such yummy {& pretty} food!

 I ordered their tasty chicken salad with strawberries in it!

This chilled strawberry soup is so delish.

 

After we'd eaten our fill we hit the shops downtown.

A good time was had by all!

 

~*~

Have you been to any flea markets or tea rooms lately?

 

{Photos by Beth, Jan, & me!}

 



vintage treasures...

This post will be one of those posts I referred to as "random posts sprinkled in here & there" when I mentioned that I wanted to become more organized in my blogging. So I think I will give it the label "sprinkle post" to set it apart from my regular Tuesday posts.
{Mostly because it amuses me.} ;)

I did a bit of vintage treasure hunting this weekend.

I thought I'd share my "haul" with you lovelies. :)

Friday I was able to go to my favorite thrift store,

and Saturday to a not-too-far-away town with some swell antique shops.

 



Below are pictured my goodies found at my favorite thrift shop.

Some great vintage sewing notions & cook booklets.

When the prices range from 20 to 50 cents it's really hard not to throw things into your basket. ;)

I keep seeing all sorts of fabulous vintage belt buckles on vintage sewing blogs, especially Esther's.

So, I was quite excited to find that little red number. Ooo, and just look at those sparkly rhinestone buttons! The black buttons are "genuine jet" & I just like the card of the men's shirt buttons.
 



 

I simply can not resist little vintage cook booklets. The artwork is always so charming.
Clockwise starting from the left:
~ Good Housekeeping's Summer Cook Book.
 I can't find a date on this one, but judging by her hair I'd say 1940s.
~ Cake Baking Made Easy with Airy Fairy. Copyright 1932
hahaha! Can you imagine walking in to your local grocer's and enquiring whether or not they carry "Airy Fairy Cake Flour"? I think it would be very hard to do so with a straight face.
~ Coconut Glamour Desserts. Copyright 1949
Lots of yummy things in there!
~ Answers by the Canning Doctor.
I can't find a date on this one either, but I'd guess late 40s or early 50s.

 



 

Oh, and that cute little bunny {not vintage. just adorable.} just hopped into my basket on its own. At 20 cents I simply couldn't refuse the wee scamp a nice home.

Now, this lovely black velvet 1940s (I think) hat & the two wonderful feedsacks which you can see underneath all the other treasures were all found in a little antique shop.

Each item was $10 which I personally think was a terrific deal.

(Though I don't buy many hats I do know my stuff about feedsacks!)

 I'm thinking of wearing the hat on Easter. My sister, Beth, got me a wool suit in a lovely lavender that would go smashingly with the pansies on this sweet topper.

Although I'm not sure if it's against "the rules" to wear black velvet on Easter...any thoughts on that?
I think the pansies may be a new addition to the hat, but in any case I like them.
The lavender suit is very 90s in style, but I'm hoping to be able to tweak it to be a bit more 40s.
I may wear my vintage leaf sweater with the suit if it goes well together.
I just have to finish the collar & sew it up!
Now comes the part wear I sincerely hope it fits. You just never know with a new pattern. I generally have pretty good results though. The fact that knits are stretchy in nature is always a lifesaver. ;)

 

I'm really excited about my feedsacks! The blue one with little red apples would go wonderfully with my new belt buckle. And, since my vintage peasant blouse pattern can *just* be squeezed out of one feedsack I think I know what I'm going to make from this pink floral one! :D

Well, that's all for now, my dears. 

 

~ I'll be back Tuesday with another outfit post! ~

{You've been warned.} :P

 

What's your opinion on a black velvet hat for an Easter bonnet?

Did you find any vintage treasures lately {& did you get a good deal}?

Would you have been able to resist that sweet bunny? ;)